Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Representative Al Green (TX-9) today introduced a resolution honoring the 100^th anniversary of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).  The resolution enjoys bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.   

“The NAACP has been instrumental in advancing the cause of civil rights throughout its rich history,” said Dodd.  “Last week we celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and witnessed the swearing in of the United States’ first African-American President.  This historic moment offers us the opportunity to reflect on how far we have come in one century, and everything the NAACP has done to make these advances possible.  As we mark this historic anniversary, I look forward to continue working with the NAACP to ensure all Americans have equal rights.”

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today submitted the following statement for the record at the Committee hearing on global climate change:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  I would like to join my colleagues in welcoming my good friend Vice President Gore this morning, and thank him for the tremendous work he has done over the years.  He has not only raised awareness of the dangers of global climate change; he has transformed the debate and brought it into the public consciousness.  I would also like to recognize our distinguished Chairman’s own work in confronting global climate change, most recently during his trip to Poland in December as the leader of the U.S. delegation to the UN Conference on global warming.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today congratulated Wallingford resident and Choate Rosemary Hall senior Aditya Rajogopalan for being named one of 40 finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search 2009 competition, a program of the Society for the Science and the Public.  Aditya’s research project focused on Modeling Synergistic Cellulolytic-Hemicellulolytic Enzyme Complexes for Lignocellulosic Hydrolysis.

Federal Mass Transit Tax Break Right Now Only Covers $120 Worth of Commuting Costs Per Month, Less than Half As Much as the Benefit Given to Drivers

Disparity Shows Absolutely Backwards Priorities In Modern Age Of Conservation And With Nation's Crippling Dependence On Foreign Oil

Bipartisan Plan Equalizes the Two Benefits and Takes Away the Incentive to Drive - Takes Cars Off the Road and Puts Money Back in Commuters' Pockets

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, today heard testimony from Dr. Henry Backe Jr., an orthopedic surgeon from Fairfield, Connecticut, at the Committee’s hearing to examine the Madoff Investment Securities fraud.  Senator Dodd invited Dr. Backe to testify after hearing that his medical practice, which employs over 100 people, invested all of its retirement plan assets with Madoff in 1992, and has suffered devastating losses since the news broke that all investments with Madoff were a sham. 

Several members of the Connecticut Congressional Delegation condemned today’s announcement by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) of a new tariff that could force Connecticut-based Nestle Waters North America to lay off 100 workers.  Nestle Waters is the largest American importer of Italian mineral water, which would be affected by the new tariff.  Today’s announcement ignores President Obama’s directive that all pending regulations be halted until his Administration can conduct a full legal and policy review of each matter. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) who has been asked by Chairman Kennedy to serve as his chief deputy for health reform, today hosted the first town hall meeting of his Connecticut Prescriptions for Change listening tour.  Approximately 700 Connecticut residents came to Goodwin College in East Hartford this morning to hear from Dodd and a panel of experts and to share their views and ideas for reforming our nation’s health care system.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, issued the following statement this evening after the Senate confirmation of two key members of President Obama’s economic team who were recently vetted by the Committee.  The Senate confirmed by unanimous consent Mr. Shaun Donovan to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Honorable Mary Schapiro to be Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, released the following statement after the Senate approved “The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act” tonight:

“Millions of Americans depend on the right to equal pay for equal work to earn a livelihood, to feed their families, and to uphold their basic dignity. We ought to make it easier for Americans to exercise that right.  Tonight, that is precisely what we have done.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the author of the Restoring the Constitution Act, applauded President Obama’s executive orders to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay within a year, close secret prisons and revise detention and interrogation policies.

“Today, the United States has taken a first step down the long road toward restoring our moral authority, while ensuring our security.  With President Obama’s signatures, we will be more effective in our efforts to prevent, detain, and prosecute those who would harm us.  In addition, today’s orders have reasserted our nation’s commitment and adherence to the rule of law.